Mato and Yomi: Their Story
by YuriFan300
Summary: Mato transfers to a new school and meets a quiet and shy girl who has trouble making friends. My own little version of how Mato and Yomi first met . . . and fell in love. Contains Yuri, Shoujo Ai relationship.
1. Their First Meeting

**Mato and Yomi: Their Story**

**Pairing: Mato x Yomi**

**Genre: Romance/Drama**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Black Rock Shooter or any of its characters.**

**Author's Note: Hello, everyone! My name is YuriFan300 and this is my first Mato x Yomi fanfic. I decided to not include the Other Selves for this story because I still cannot understand it while I was watching it. They almost always move from the normal world to the other world where the character's "other selves" are, who are constantly at battle. Oh, and to make everyone understand what they are picturing, I'm going for the anime version's characters, so Yomi really does wear glasses in this story. In my opinion, the anime Yomi is kind of cute in a way because I think she's more of a shy type that way. So, please, enjoy the story!**

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

A hand shoots over from under the covers as it tries to find it's way towards the off button. After slamming it off, a small figure rises from the bed, revealing to be a girl with medium length black hair and stretches out her arms. This girl, named Mato Kuroi, looks over at the clock which says 7:10, she stumbles out of bed and starts to get ready for her first day of school. When she's about to enter the bathroom, she looks over at her school uniform she had recently purchased. Smiling, she knows she's gonna have a good year in middle school since she's gonna be meeting new people and eager to make new friends there. And this is a middle school Mato has never heard of before, so this is totally new to her, which is also exciting.

After getting dressed and everything, she checks herself in the mirror one last time. She had tied her hair into two small pony-tails and spins around to check if the uniform fits her right. Knowing that it is, she smiles at her reflection.

"Ah, yes," she says, twirling around one last time. "Perfect."

_Knock! Knock!_

"Yes?" Mato calls.

"Hey, sis!" her little brother calls back from behind the door. "Mom's wondering if you're ready yet."

"Tell her I'll be down in a second!" Mato says.

"Okay."

Mato looks at herself in the mirror again and smiles. She quickly grabs her bag and heads downstairs to the kitchen, where her mother is already washing dishes.

"Morning, Mato," she says.

"Morning," Mato replies as she prepares her toast with butter.

"So, are you ready to conquer the world, Big Sis?" her brother asks.

Mato just chuckles. "It's not just about conquering the world. I'm gonna make some new friends."

"That's good to hear," her mother says as she puts one of the plates in the dish washer.

Her brother just shakes his head as he drinks his orange juice. "My guess you'll only make zero. Since you're short and not worth talking to."

This sets Mato off as she slams her hand on the table while standing up. "I'll have you know that I'm a very athletic girl who dreams of becoming a professional basketball player someday! And just because I'm short doesn't mean a girl doesn't do anything big girls can't!" She puffs out her flat chest while putting up a fist in the air. "I'm Mato Kuroi and I can do anything I set my mind to!"

"Well if you're willing to do anything," her mother says. "You better hurry or the train's going to leave pretty soon."

"Oh! You're right!" Quickly putting the rest of the butter on the toast, Mato gobbles it up, grabs her back and says good-bye to her mother and brother.

She quickly runs down the quiet neighborhood to catch the train that's about to leave in a few minutes. From where she comes from, she's just a normal girl who had taken basketball lessons since she was 6. She was inspired by an American player named Michael Jordan and wishes to be like him some day. So, she started training for basketball since then. She became really good at it once she got the hang of it, possibly even better than any of the other girls in her elementary school. Now that she's in middle school, she's really eager to join a basketball team and show her skills there.

She makes it to the train just in time with a minute to spare and it sets off to its next destination. While waiting, she looks around to notice that it's really crowded here, which makes her a little uncomfortable. Not that she's claustrophobic or anything, but there could be some dangerous people here and she has to be very cautious of that. She's known that beforehand since she's read it in some manga. Still, that doesn't stop her from being excited over middle school. _This year, _Mato thinks to herself. _I'll make at least one good friend. Then maybe if I'm lucky, I'll make two! That'll show my little brother who's boss!_

* * *

><p>Once the train arrives at the station, Mato gets off and walks along the path towards the school. She notices some other kids that are wearing the same uniform as her going to the same direction, so she's certain she's going the right way. She casually walks by herself, minding her own business, sometimes watching other kids talking with their friends. However, as she turns her head in another direction, she catches a glimpse of a girl with wavy dark green hair with square-shaped glasses also walking alone. Her expression seems lonely and somewhat sad and Mato doesn't know why. Something in her mind wants to talk to that girl, but before she can do anything, she hears the warning bell ring.<p>

_Dang! _she shouts mentally. _Fine. I'll try talking with her later. Maybe she'll be in the same class as me, which will give me a chance to talk to her a lot more._

Mato hurries towards the entrance and finds her classroom in the nick of time. Just as she sits down, she looks over to see the same exact girl sitting just diagonally from her. This makes her heart beat super fast. _Wow! _she thinks to herself. _I was right! She IS in the same class as me! Maybe we can introduce ourselves after class and get to know each other a little._

Pretty soon, the bell rings for class to start. For Mato, it's a long first period since they were doing some introductions, rules of the school and reading some handouts the teacher was giving them. While the teacher was talking, Mato couldn't help but steal glances at the girl in glasses every 5 minutes. Something about her makes her face flush and doesn't know why. Maybe because of her cute features with her glasses and everything. Maybe because of her shy personality she seems to have. Whatever the reason is, Mato is starting to like this girl already, even though she hasn't even talked to her yet at all.

At long last, the bell rings for the next class to start and Mato gets up from her desk, takes a few deep breaths and slowly approaches the girl.

"Um, hello there," Mato says.

The girl in glasses looks up at her. "Hello." Her voice seems to be quiet, but kind, which makes Mato smile.

"I just noticed you earlier this morning," she says. "I wanted to talk to you but I had to get to class on time."

"It's alright," the girl in glasses says. "It happens sometimes."

Mato giggles. "Not a good way to start your first day, is it? Oh, my name is Mato Kuroi! What's yours?"

"My name is Yomi," the quiet girl replies. "Yomi Takanashi."

"Takanashi," Mato mutters. "That's a nice name!"

"You think so?"

"Mm-hmm! In fact, it's a cool name if you ask me."

Just then, Mato starts to hear Yomi giggle softly.

"Something wrong?"

"No, it's just that . . . it was very nice of you to say that," Yomi says. "No one has ever said that to me before.

"Oh. Well, thank you," Mato says. _Maybe this girl is even nicer than I expected, _she thinks to herself. "Um, say, do you want to walk to our next class?"

Yomi takes out her schedule and looks over at it. "Hmm . . . we can, but we have separate classes and it looks like they're pretty far from each other."

"Oh, I see."

"Don't worry. We'll talk to each other again." Yomi gets up from her desk and grabs her bag. "Well, I'll see you later Miss Kuroi."

"Ah, I'll see you later, Miss Takanashi!" Mato says as she waves at her.

Yomi waves back as she leaves the classroom. As everyone else leaves, Mato slowly makes a fist and puts it up to where her heart is. It is beating rapidly and could almost feel it with her hand. _What a sweet girl, _she thinks to herself.

* * *

><p>Soon, school is over and Mato stretches out her arms as she gets up from her desk. She is eager to see Yomi again since she's mostly in different classes from her. So she rushes out in the halls to search for her. But it's so crowded with people it's hard to find her this way. Mato starts walking to her right until she sees Yomi starting to walk towards the exit.<p>

"Miss Takanashi!" Mato calls as she tries catching up with her.

"Miss Kuroi?" Yomi turns to notice Mato running towards her and stop to catch her breath.

"Let's *pant* walk together!" Mato says while leaning over and putting her hands on her knees to keep her balance.

"Eh?" Yomi looks at her surprised.

After finally catching her breath, Mato stands up and repeats, "Do you want to walk home together? Oh, that's right. I don't know where you live."

"It's okay," Yomi says quietly as she looks down at the floor. "I don't feel like walking home together anyways."

"Huh? Why not?" Mato asks confused.

"It's . . . kind of hard to explain." Yomi turns back to the doors. "I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Kuroi."

_Hard to explain? _Mato thinks. _What on earth does she mean?_ Before she could say anything, Yomi already leaves the school with Mato watching her.

_Why? _she thinks again. _Why did she look so sad? She was just fine earlier. Maybe she has something going on at home that she didn't want to tell me about._ Whatever it is, Mato is sure she's gonna talk with her tomorrow . . . and try to talk things over with her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So, how's the first chapter? Like I said before, the Mato and Yomi in the anime are just so cute, in my opinion. Now, I apologize if I didn't go for the OVA versions, but I'm using those characters based on my opinions. **

**Now, I didn't really go for Mato questioning Yomi's last name in writing right away since the OVA and TV series sort of have the same scenario. So, I'm gonna write a different one in the next chapter. I'm also planning to just have Mato and Yomi be the only characters in this story, next to Kagari who will come later soon. I'm just not interested in adding Yuu, Saya or any other character that might be related to the anime anyway. And as a yuri fan, I ship Mato and Yomi since they are meant to be a pair. (giggles)**

**Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)**


	2. Let's Be Good Friends!

**Chapter 2**

**Let's Be Good Friends**

Mato gets home from school and greets her mother.

"How was school, Mato?" she asks.

"It was fine," Mato replies. "Oh, and guess what? I made a new friend today!"

Her mother brightens and approaches her with a smile. "Really? Who is it?"

"It's a girl named Yomi Takanashi. She's a quiet, but sweet girl. In fact, we introduced ourselves right after first period ended."

"I'm glad that you made a new friend on your first day," Her mother says.

Mato giggles as she is on her way up to her room when she notices her little brother walking by. She turns to him and sticks her tongue out. When he didn't get what she meant, she tells him, "Told you I'd make a friend. You were SO wrong, bro!"

"Whatever," he grumbles as he keeps on walking until he gets to the kitchen.

Mato just chuckles as she steps into her room and closes the door. After getting changed into her casual clothing, she plops down on the bed and looks up at the ceiling. An image of Yomi appears in her mind.

_Miss Takanashi, _she thinks. _I hope you're okay. You seemed so sad when you were leaving. I hope there's something I can do for you._ Though she doesn't know her yet, Mato is still willing to help out Yomi. She wants to be good friends with her so that she probably won't be alone anymore and maybe make her smile even. She can't let it get worse if Yomi keeps on being like this. Plus, Mato believes she's the first person Yomi's ever talked to. Why doesn't she do that with other people? _Maybe Ms. Takanashi really is shy, _Mato thinks.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Mato notices Yomi again, walking by herself. She is about to approach her when she hears some gossiping from some girls.<p>

"Hey, isn't that Takanashi?" one girl asks.

"Yes, she is," another says.

"You know the whole story, don't you?"

Mato seemed really interested in the conversation, so she pretends to mind her own business while secretly walking behind the two girls.

"Well, not all of it," Girl #2 says. "How did it go again?"

"For starters, Takanashi comes from a rich family," Girl #1 explains. "She comes out as shy, but stuck up girl. She barely socializes with anybody, which explains why she is always alone."

"Oh, wow," Girl #2 says.

Mato furrows her eyebrows as she hears all of this. _Ms. Takanashi isn't that stuck up to me, _she thinks. _She was able to talk with me just fine._

"I also heard that Takanashi gets bullied a lot," Girl #1 continues.

This makes Mato jump in surprise. _Bullied?_

"She used to get picked on when she was a little kid and that's why she hasn't made any friends since."

"That's horrible," Girl #2 says.

"Yes. I wonder if she'll make any friends this year," Girl #1 says.

Mato looks over at Yomi, who is really tensed up upon hearing this. _How cruel,_ Mato thinks again. _Why would anyone pick on a shy and innocent girl like her?_ She is now beginning to understand why Yomi would look so sad every time she sees her. _This time, I'll talk to her directly. There's no holding back!_

"Ms. Takanashi!" she calls as she trots over to by her side.

"Oh, Ms. Kuroi," Yomi says softly. "Good morning."

Mato notices some writing on her bag, which titles her first and last name. "Uh . . . who's Kotori-osobi? (Tiny Bird's Game)"

Yomi looks over at her bag with the name tag taped on it. "Oh, this. No, it's read Takanashi."

"Eh? Your last name is Takaknashi, but why would you write it as Kotori-osabi?"

Yomi giggles. "You're reading it wrong because it's the same character. By Takanashi, it's when there are no hawks where little birds play."

Mato looks at her like she doesn't have a clue, which makes Yomi giggle again.

"I know. It's confusing."

"No, no. I think it's awesome on how you put your name! I really didn't know that!"

Yomi gasps softly as she turns away a bit. "Thank you."

There is silence while walking along the path until Mato decided to speak up.

"So . . . just want to ask," Mato says. "What period do you have lunch?"

"Um, 5th period," Yomi replies.

"Good. So we're in the same lunch period. Why didn't you tell me earlier? We could've had lunch together yesterday."

Yomi looks down at the ground. "It's . . . complicated. I don't think you would understand."

Mato frowns. "What do you mean 'I wouldn't understand'? What are you trying to hide exactly?"

Yomi doesn't answer as she keeps on avoiding eye contact with her. "It's . . . none of your business anyway. We better get to class or we'll be late." She starts walking ahead of Mato while the small black haired girl is left standing there, dumbfounded. _None of my business, huh?_ she thinks. _Forgive me Ms. Takanashi, but I will not give up until you give me some answers._

* * *

><p>Lunch period finally arrives and Mato quickly enters the cafeteria and search for Yomi. She had tried talking to her after first period, but Yomi kept on ignoring her and literally walked out of the classroom without a word. But due to the huge crowd, she barely finds her there. <em>Dang it! Where is she? She said she had the same lunch period as me, but where could she be?<em> She looks over outside and decides to have a look there. She opens the doors and looks around for Yomi. Turning to her right, she sees a figure sitting next to a tall tree with her head down and barely eating anything. Her mouth curving to a smile, she excitedly runs toward her.

"Ms. Takanashi!" she calls.

Yomi looks up as Mato proceeds to sit next to her without giving it a second thought.

"You looked very lonely out there," Mato says. "Do you always sit by yourself?"

Yomi only nods. There is silence for a moment with neither of them making a sound or move until Yomi quietly speaks up.

"Why are you here anyway?" she asks.

"I wanted to talk to you," Mato replies. "Didn't I say that earlier?"

Yomi looks down at the ground. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Of course there is! You are obviously sad about something, so why don't you tell me anything!?"

Yomi looks up and frowns at her. "Why do you care so much anyway? You just won't understand.

"Who freaking cares about that!? All I wanted to do is help you! Help you stand up on your own two feet again! To help you smile again! That's all I wanted!" Mato shouts.

"Y-you wanted to . . . help me?" This leaves Yomi speechless.

"Yes! Because that's what good friends do! They help each other with their problems! They trust each other! They tell each other everything! So, please. Tell me," Mato pleads.

Yomi's eyes start to water with tears. "Ms. Kuroi . . ." She feels that she couldn't hide it anymore, but is still hesitant on one thing. "B-but . . . if I do become friends with you . . . how can I trust that you'll stay by my side?"

Mato frowns. "What' s that supposed to mean?"

"I made a friend one time . . . and she isn't a person who I would call a friend. She wasn't there when I needed her or helped me or supported me with anything. She wasn't even there for me when I was sad and needed to cry." Tears were forming in Yomi's eyes again. "So, I tried another person, but got the same results. It's like they think I'm invisible or something. I don't know what's wrong with me trying to make friends, but since I was unable to during that time, I never attempted to make one friend again. They might run away again."

Mato looks at Yomi sympathetically. She never knew Yomi had gone through this much and now understood why Yomi never wanted to tell her. In a quick motion, Mato wraps her arms around Yomi, making the dark-green haired girl gasp in shock.

"M-Ms. Kuroi . . ."

"I'll be your friend," Mato says in a serious tone. "In fact, I'll be your best friend you could ever want. I'll always be with you, help and support you whenever you need it and come to you whenever you are sad. So . . . let's be good friends . . . Yomi."

Yomi's eyes widen at Mato calling her given name. As tears start to fall freely from her eyes, Yomi hugs her back, quietly sobbing, "Th-thank you . . . Mato."

Mato smiles as she hears Yomi call her by her given name. "There, there. I'm right here, Yomi. Let it all out."

The dark-green haired girl nods as she sobs even harder, letting out everything she had been holding back. Mato is certain that she'll be good friends with her starting now and she'll never abandon her. As for Yomi, she was afraid of Mato rejecting her if she were to become friends with her, but it seemed like Mato was really serious about it and didn't even look like she was lying.

After crying for a good 10 minutes, Yomi pulls away and wipes off her tears.

"Thanks again," she says quietly.

"No problem," Mato replies with a smile. "Like I said before, I will never abandon you. Not like those other so-called friends of yours. I'll always be there for you whenever you need it."

Yomi nods as she wipes the last of her tears. "I'm glad . . . we're friends, Mato."

"So am I," Mato replies with a smile.

The two give each other one last hug and then proceed to eat their lunch with 15 minutes to spare.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Wow! Early on the drama there, huh? Well, I wanted to make this a sweet Mato x Yomi moment here, so that's why I wrote it. And I don't know how I can have Kagari appear in this story, but it will be way different than the anime. She will obtain the same personality, but in a different situation. **

**Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)**


	3. Let's Play Together!

**Chapter 3**

**Let's Play Together!**

Since becoming friends with Mato, Yomi was happier than she used to be. She and Mato would walk together to and from school, eat lunch together and even willing to stay after school to study together. Mato feels the same way as Yomi since she became friends with her. One time, she wanted to introduce Yomi to her mother and Yomi accepted it. Her mother was thrilled to see Yomi and allowed her to come over whenever she wants to since she was so happy that Yomi had made friends with Mato. Yomi had never expected this to happen, but it even made her even happier that she was allowed to come over to Mato's house whenever she wants to.

And since Mato had invited Yomi to her home, Yomi decided to do the same. Besides, she's sure her parents wouldn't mind some company. So after class ends, Yomi gathers up the courage to approach her and take a few deep breaths.

"Um . . . Mato?" she says softly.

"Yes?" Mato says, looking up at the shy girl.

"S-since you were willing to invite me to your house . . . do you . . . want to come to mine?"

Mato brightens as she quickly gives Yomi a hug. "Of course! I would love to!"

Yomi giggles as she pulls away. "So, let's meet after school, then."

"Yes! Let's do that!" Mato is so excited to finally go to Yomi's house after inviting Yomi to hers. It's only first period, but for Mato, she wishes that school would just be over already so that she could experience Yomi's home.

Yomi smiles as she picks up her bag to go to her next class. "Well, you coming, Mato?"

"Eh? I thought our classes were really separate," the short pig-tailed girl says.

"Well, we should at least walk together once in a while, right? Besides, if we're quick enough, maybe we can get to our classes with a minute to spare."

Mato brightens again and hugs her friend. "THANK YOU, YOMI! YOU'RE THE BEST!"

Yomi flushes red from Mato's excitement as she nervously looks around her. "M-Mato, not so loud!"

Mato chuckles as she pulls away. "I can't help it. It's been a week and a half since we became friends and you're already willing to do things you didn't do a long time ago."

Yomi nods. "Yes, that's exactly right. Well, we'd better hurry or both of us will be late."

"Roger!"

As soon as both of them start walking in the halls, Yomi catches most people staring at both of them, which makes her a bit uncomfortable. Though she's happy she's become friends with Mato, there is a little downside to it: those who knew about Yomi's past, has begun to wonder about her being friends with Mato for the first time. They were also wondering about Mato sticking by Yomi when she's just forgetting about what she's been through a long time ago. However, Mato notices this, too and turns to her shy friend.

"Don't worry about them," Mato says. "I'm right here. No one should bother you unless I'm here."

Yomi just nods as she keeps on walking beside her. However, she tenses up even more as soon as she hears some girls gossip, like "Is Takanashi seriously making friends with that girl?" or "What if she gets rejected again?" or even "Why would Kuroi want to make friends with a stuck up girl like her?"

Mato hears those gossips, too and stops in her tracks. Turning to the girls who were gossiping, she glares at them as she pulls Yomi close to her.

"Hey, Yomi is never a problem for me," she says to them. "She may be shy, but she's not stuck up! She's just trying to make new friends, for goodness sakes! And besides, she's a sweet girl! How come none of you realize that?"

"Maybe because we never talk to her," one girl says. "Since she never talks to us."

"Okay, I know she has a difficult past," Mato says. "But since I became friends with her, she's willing to trust again and stand on her own two feet. She's not lonely anymore. And she's the best friend I ever had."

Yomi's eyes widen at Mato's speech.

"So just because you heard stories about her past, doesn't mean that you should judge her that way," Mato continues. "Yomi has made a great friend and that is me. I promised her to stay by her side and never abandon her, just like those before me." She turns to her shy friend. "Let's go, Yomi."

"O-okay."

With that, the two walk away with the girls looking at each other dumbfounded. Yomi looks over at Mato as they enter the stairs. She is very surprised that Mato would stick up for her like that. And she felt very happy that she would do that for her. So, before entering Mato's class, Yomi softly tugs on Mato's sleeve like a needy child.

"Yes?" Mato says as she turns to her.

"Um . . . thank you for sticking up for me," Yomi says, softly.

The short pig-tailed girl smiles at her. "No problem. That's what friends do for each other, too. Don't ever forget that." With that, Mato walks into the classroom with Yomi forming a small smile on her face.

"Of course," she says to herself. "I'll never forget it. Ever."

* * *

><p>"AH~! Finally, school is over!" Mato sighs happily as she stands up from her desk and stretches out her arms.<p>

She quickly grabs her bag and rushes over to the entrance where she's supposed to meet Yomi. She finds her there and the two start walking together.

"So . . . where is your home?" Mato asks.

"It's not that far from where we are," Yomi replies. "Actually, it's just about 5 blocks away from the train station."

"Oh! Okay!"

"I'll introduce you to my parents," Yomi adds. "I'm sure they'll be glad to see you."

"Oh, yes! I would love that!" Mato says, cheerfully as she gives her friend a quick hug.

"Hehe! Well then, shall we?" Yomi offers her hand towards Mato.

Mato nods as she takes it and the two head to the train station and caught up with the train just in time. The train ride only lasted about 10 minutes and as soon as Mato and Yomi get off, Yomi guides Mato through the 5 blocks she had told her earlier. It's a long walk, but Mato doesn't mind as long as she's with her new friend.

Finally, the two arrive at Yomi's mansion and Mato looks up at the building in awe.

"Wow!" she exclaims. "It's huge! When they said you come from a rich family, they're not kidding!"

Yomi smiles at her. "I'm glad you like it. Here, come inside and let me introduce you to my parents."

Both of them enter the house and walk over to the kitchen where Yomi's parents are. Mr. Takanashi is sitting at the table with a newspaper in hand while Mrs. Takanashi is washing dishes.

"Mom, Dad, I'm home," Yomi calls.

Mr. Takanashi looks up from his newspaper and notices Yomi standing there with Mato at her side. "Hello, Yomi. Oh, and who is this young girl?"

"My name is Mato Kuroi," the short pig-tailed girl says. "I'm Yomi's friend."

Mrs. Takanashi turns and smiles. "Oh, you made a new friend, Yomi?"

"Yes, I did," Yomi replies.

"That's great," Mr. Takanashi says as he stands up to approach Mato. "I'm Yomi's father. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Mato."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Takanashi," Mato greets back, bowing respectively.

"Yomi almost never has any friends over," Mrs. Takanashi says as she takes off her gloves. "I was getting really worried about her since she was unable to make some friends during elementary school. But I can see that she's finally made a new friend after all. Thank you so much, Ms. Mato."

"Oh, it's nothing," Mato says while rubbing the back of her head and laughs nervously. "I just happen to notice her being lonely, so I wanted to become friends with her."

"That's very nice of you," Mr. Takanashi says. "Say, why don't you two hang out for a while? Yomi will show you the ropes here, okay? I know it's big here, but Yomi can show you some cool stuff in here."

"Absolutely," Yomi says as she turns to Mato. "Here, let's go to my room first."

"Okay!"

With that, Mato and Yomi rush upstairs with Mr. and Mrs. Takanashi looking at each other with a smile.

"Our daughter's finally made a new friend," Mrs. Takanashi says.

"Indeed," Mr. Takanashi agrees as he turns back to his newspaper. "I've never seen her this happy since her days at elementary school."

"I'm glad that she's able to smile again," Mrs. Takanashi says as she puts her hand on her cheek.

Mr. Takanashi nods in agreement.

* * *

><p>"Wow!" Mato says as she enters Yomi's room. "Your room looks amazing! My room is never this big at all! You can easily have a party in here!"<p>

Looking around her, Yomi's room is mostly filled with shelves of books, a doll house on a table next to a wall, an Eiffel Tower built entirely out of popsicle sticks and a desk next to the two long rectangular sized windows. There are also a couple of cabinets filled with sewing stuff with completed scarves next to the kit.

"Do you always sew?" Mato asks as she takes notice of a couple of colorful scarves.

"Not really," Yomi replies.

Mato picks up one of the scarves and examines them. "Those are really good! I didn't know you could sew that well!"

"My grandmother taught me. Not only she sews scarves, but also sweaters and blankets, too."

"Whoa! She sews blankets, too!?"

"Mm-hmm. Though, I've never tried one before. I'm not even sure if I'm even good with making quilts."

"Well, you won't know until you try, right?" Mato says.

Yomi nods. Mato takes a look around again and notices a basketball placed on a stand. She gasps and trots over to it and picks it up.

"Wow!" she exclaims. "Do you play basketball?"

"No," Yomi replies. "I'm not really into sports anyway. I just got that as a decoration."

"Hmm . . ." Mato mumbles as she rubs her chin. "Say, does this mansion have a basketball court somewhere?"

"It should have. I bet it's way downstairs in the basement. Why do you ask?"

Mato holds up the ball with a smile. "Well, I wanted to show you one of my best hobbies. Basketball is my all time favorite sport since I was 6. And what got me into this sport was watching an American player named Michael Jordan."

Yomi's eyes widen at that name. "I've heard of him! He's one of the best players in the league, right?"

"Yes!" Mato replies. "He's even got a nickname: 'Air Jordan'. Man, he can jump pretty high, so that's why he's nicknamed that. Anyway, that's why I wanted to try out basketball because I got inspired by him."

"That's great, Mato. I'm surprised that you would even know an American basketball player like him."

Mato chuckles as she makes her way towards the door. "Well, shall we get going?"

"Wait, we're going now?"

"Well, it's only for a little bit," Mato says. "Besides, do you want to learn a little basketball, too?"

"Oh, sure. I would love that."

Mato smiles happily. "Great! Then, let's go!"

With Yomi leading the way, both of them head downstairs to the basketball court. Mato is amazed by how it is exactly like a real basketball court. Mato starts dribbling the ball a few times before heading towards the basket. With a quick leap, Mato performs a perfect lay up and makes it into the basket. Yomi applauds her from her awesome shot.

"You're really good, Mato!" Yomi exclaims.

"Thank you," Mato says. "I learned all this from my elementary P.E teacher and basketball coach. They are the best I've ever had." She dribbles the ball in place a couple of times. "So . . . how about a simple practice of shooting hoops?"

"Shooting hoops?" Yomi repeats. "You mean I'm gonna do this, too?"

Mato chuckles. "Of course! Sometimes, you need to try new things, right? That's the fun part of learning!"

Yomi smiles as she nods. "Okay. I'll do it."

Both of them step to the shooting point and Mato takes her first shot. With correct posture, she makes a leap and shoots a perfect basket; nothing but net. Yomi's eyes widen as Mato passes the ball to her. Walking next to her, she explains the steps of shooting the ball, like putting the ball in front of her, looking up at the basket and being in a correct position in order to shoot correctly. Yomi tries all of those steps and makes a small leap while taking a shot. The ball hits the rim and bounces off to the side.

"Okay, that's a nice first try," Mato says as she runs over to get the ball. "You'll get it soon. Don't worry." She passes the ball to Yomi again. "Go on! You can do it!"

Yomi nods as she looks at the basket again. She positions herself with correct posture again and makes a leap again, this time a little higher. The ball goes a bit too high and bounces off the board and off to the left. Mato runs over to catch it and passes to Yomi again.

"Try again, Yomi," Mato encourages. "You'll get it. Sometimes, it takes several attempts to make a shot."

"Alright," Yomi says as she looks over at the basket with a determined expression on her face.

With a long pause, she bends her knees and launches herself in the air while throwing the ball at the same time. It flies over to the edge of the rim, bouncing around a couple times before making it in. Mato and Yomi don't make any sudden movement as they realize what just happened. Yomi's eyes widen as she smiles really wide.

"I did it," she says. "I really did it!"

"Yes!" Mato exclaims as she jumps in the air with a fist high. "Nice one, Yomi! You really did it!"

"I really did! Thank you, Mato!"

The short pig-tailed girl runs over and hugs her friend for her nice effort. "See? I knew you could do it, Yomi!"

Yomi hugs her back. "It's all thanks to you. So, I'm very happy that you taught me something new."

Mato pulls away and smiles at her. "Say, do you want to play a bit longer before heading to your room again?"

"I would love to."

With that, Mato and Yomi spend the rest of the afternoon, enjoying shooting hoops together.

* * *

><p>When night falls, Mato and Yomi are sitting together in Yomi's room, exchanging phone numbers before Mato has to leave.<p>

"Alright then!" Mato says as she saves Yomi's number to her contacts. "Now we can call or text each other any time!"

"Mm-hmm," Yomi nods in agreement.

Both of them stand up and head for the front door. Yomi opens the door for Mato as the short pig-tailed girl steps outside.

"Thank you so much for inviting me to your house," Mato says. "I hope we do this again sometime."

"Yes," Yomi says. "We definitely should."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Yomi."

"Bye."

Right when Mato leaves, Yomi closes the door and leans agains it. For some reason, she can feel her heart beating a million miles an hour. She raises a fist to where her heart is and can even feel it with her hand. She is even blushing at the thought of Mato when she left.

_What is this feeling?_ she thinks. _I've never felt this way before._

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well, I got to say. That was a fun chapter to write! (giggles) I've played basketball before and I've heard of Michael Jordan from watching the Looney Toons Movie "Space Jam". That's what came to mind when I was writing this for Mato's hobby. **

**And goodness, what could Yomi be feeling at the end right there? Could it be love? Stay tuned for more! **

**Oh, and you're probably wondering when Kagari's gonna show up. Well . . . that's a surprise. Sorry! (laughs nervously)**

**A-anyway, feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)**


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